Skylands 2 Years Later
by paganilover3000
Summary: Things have changed in Skylands. Kaos hasn't been seen in like, forever, and many Skylanders have gotten together. But after the appearance of a strange being, and a warning, 16 Skylanders now have major-league targets on their backs. What is the cause, what must be done, and is Grim Creeper hiding something?
1. Chapter 1: A New Appearance

**Just so you know, I made this fanfic because there are two Skylanders from Skylanders Swap Force that I ship that no one has made a story of, but I'm gonna do all the couples that I see fit. Try to guess the couple I'm thinking of in the reviews. Maybe I'll respond. Depends on the mood I'm in. ;)**

**So anyway, story time!**

2 years have passed since Kaos's defeat. Many Skylanders have settled down and gotten together, and everything seems perfect. But evil always has a way to rear its ugly head, and Kaos isn't the only worry now. Here's the story so far:

Spyro and Cynder are hangin' around together with a few other couples, such as Bash and Flashwing, Grim Creeper and Star Strike, Rip Tide and Punk Shock, and a few others. All of a sudden Spyro, Cynder, and a few other Skylanders begin to feel lightheaded, and suddenly everything just went black.

_Spyro opened his eyes, and it looked like he was in a white area, nothing but the color white for not just miles, but_ _**lightyears**__. He looked to his left and saw Cynder, just barely awake, and others, such as Flashwing, Grim Creeper, Sprocket, and what looked like 11 other Skylanders. He felt empty and powerless. He tried to breathe fire and fly, but got nothing out of it. He ran over to Cynder. When she came to, she looked at Spyro._

_"What the... Spyro, where are we?" The dragoness said, almost whispering.  
_

_"I have no clue." Spyro said in the same tone._

_"I have brought you here."_

_Spyro and the other Skylanders looked around in a panic. "Who's there?" said Scorp, an Earth Skylander._

_"A new evil is approaching."_

_"Show yourself!" shouted Star Strike._

_Suddenly, out of no where, a face that resembled Master Eon, but seemingly far more aged, appeared. "You 16 Skylanders hold an unbelievable power. You must put it to good use, before it is to late."_

_All of a sudden, everything went black again._


	2. Chapter 2: What Happened?

Spyro and the other Skylanders soon came to, not realizing what just took place. When Spyro got up, he heard a lot of whos, whats, and whys.

"Damn, that was the weirdest dream ever."

Grim Creeper and Sunburn came over to Spyro.

"What did you dream about?" They both spoke in unison.

"I had a dream that I was in a large white area. You guys and a few others were there. Some old guy appeared and gave us a weird warning."

Grim Creeper then had a grief-stricken face, like he knew something.

"Grim, are you okay?"

Suddenly Grim Creeper snapped back to reality. "I'm fine. It's just weird, see, we all had the same dream."

Grim Creeper walked away, but Spyro knew there was something wrong, something he wasn't telling them, but now probably wasn't the time to discuss that.

Grim Creeper walked over to Star Strike, picked her up and carried her to the balcony. He shook her awake.

"Huh, what? Grim? What is it?"

"Star Strike there's something you have to know."


	3. Chapter 3: Mystery Guests

Inside a large castle, in a dark corner of Skylands that is not very well known, a large hooded figure is waiting for a few arrivals.

"Where are they?!" He bellows.

Suddenly the door swings open, and 4 smaller hooded figures walk in. "My apologies, have we kept you waiting?" said the tallest of the figures. The voice sounded like a woman. It sounded so polite, yet so sinister.

"I don't like this place." The second tallest said, slightly frail.

"Shut up moron." The second shortest said, confident and bratty.

"Both of you imbeciles shut up! We're not all the way out here to listen to your meaningless bickering!" The shortest said, plainly pissed off.

"Says the person who just said the most words." The second shortest spoke again.

"If you half-wits will stop this babbling, you might want to look over here!" The largest figure bellows again before the arguing and choice words could continue.

The tallest figure spoke again. "Ah, yes, but why have you brought us here?"

"Because we all have a common enemy. Each of us have a history with at least one Skylander, and I bring you here with an offering, to take them down for good."

"As in, GOOD, good?" The second shortest spoke.

"As in, they will never be able to rise back up."

"Good! I have a history with all of them!"

"Excellent. Now if you will all listen, my plan shall take action. There are 16 Skylanders we must capture for the plan to truly work, but 4 of them are more vital. Spyro, Cynder, Grim Creeper and Star Strike."

Suddenly the shortest of the figures spoke. "I understand Spyro and Cynder, but what of the other two?

"There is a prophecy taking place, and other than me and Eon, Grim Creeper is the only one who knows of it. Star Strike also happens to be the young reaper's lover."

The second tallest spoke. "So Star Strike would make a good, uh, hostage?"

"Precisely!"

* * *

Elsewhere in Skylands, Spyro and Cynder have been called over by Grim Creeper and Star Strike.

"What would Grim and Star need us for?" Cynder questioned.

Spyro knew it had to do with the dream they all had earlier, but he joked about it to lighten the mood. "Maybe Grim wants dating advice."

They both laughed a little, and when they got to Grim Creeper's place, he was right there waiting for them.

"Glad to see you could make it!"

"Hey, you're a friend. So why did you call for us?" said Cynder.

"You two actually aren't the only ones I've called over." Grim Creeper spoke slowly. He opened the door, and what was in there surprised them.


	4. Chapter 4: Legends and Explanations

Inside, Spyro and Cynder saw 13 other Skylanders. As a full list, there was Stealth Elf, Flashwing, Scorp, Star Strike, Zap, Sprocket, Jet-Vac, Rip Tide, Drobot, Camo, Whirlwind, Sunburn, and Smolderdash. What surprised them though, was that these were all the same Skylanders they saw in the dream they all had. After recovering from their initial shock, they went inside and sat down.

Grim Creeper closed the door and followed suit. "Glad you all came."

"What's the story Grim?" said Sprocket.

"This is about the dream we all had." Grim Creeper said. "If you listen carefully it will save me the trouble of answering too many questions. Now, you know about the school I tried to attend before becoming a Skylander, right?"

"Grim Acres School for Ghost Wrangling." said Stealth Elf.

"Yes, and while I was there, they told us a legend about 16 heroes, each of them having powers similar to the elements we have as Skylanders. Two of each. They were lead by one of Eon's ancestors."

"Wait a second, you mean Master Eon?" Cynder questioned.

"Do we know any other Eon's? Anyway, they go back even farther then the Giants. But they weren't considered Skylanders because of, well, the way they did things."

"What do you mean?" said Spyro, confused. "You said they were heroes, right?"

"Well, they were actually more anti-hero then hero. The justice they served was rough. Waaaaay rough. Even rougher then us. We only kill when needed, but they took pride in it. Not to mention, they didn't give a shit about letting innocent people get caught in the crossfire."

"Did they ever change the way they did their work?" Rip Tide asked.

"They actually did in time, but it wasn't enough time. You see, one of their members, the most recent member of the undead element, actually made friends with a young boy, an orphan really. The kid was orphaned because his parents got caught in one of the team members crosshairs. He felt sorry and slightly responsible, so he took the boy in. But unfortunately, wasn't long before the boy met the same fate his parents did. Enraged, the newest member confronted the rest of the team, but they not only turned him down, but kicked him off the team. In a blind fury, their ex-comrade fought killed each of them, and committed suicide. Master Eon's ancestor, finally seeing the error of his ways, tried to kill himself to. However in his attempt, instead of actually dying, he met the same fate as Eon, becoming a bodiless entity."

"Wow. I've never heard such a story." said Scorp.

"Interesting, but what does it have to do with the dream?" Jet-Vac questioned.

"Well you see along with the legend, there was also a prophecy, and it stated that one day, Eon's ancestor would return. Not to seek revenge or cause mayhem, but to gather the team once again."

"But you said the team died." said Flashwing.

Grim Creeper sighed. "True, but it was said that in time, this team would be reincarnated into 16 new warriors, and that's where we come in."

"WHAT!?" said everyone.


	5. Chapter 5: Sleeper Dart

Back at the castle, in the dark spot of Skylands:

"Sir, I just got word that Grim Creeper has told the other Skylanders of the legend." said the shortest of the hooded figures.

"Then we can't afford to wait any longer. Send in to capture one of the Skylanders. One will do for now, but try to make sure it's one of the 4 I mentioned earlier."

"Which ones were they again sir?"

"Must I? 'groan'. Very well. Spyro, Cynder, Grim Creeper, and Star Strike."

"Understood."

"Excellent..."

* * *

Back at Grim Creeper's place

"We're the reincarnations of these killers!?" Spyro shouts.

"Well you see..."

BANG!

Grim Creeper was cut off by an explosion outside.

"What the hell?"

Everyone went to the windows and saw an army of trolls and drows coming their way.

"We're being assaulted!" Drobot shouts.

They ran outside to fight back, but little did they know they were being watched from afar.

The second tallest of the hooded figures was watching them with a dart gun in his hand, and the dart contained sleep-inducing liquid.

"He just wants one Skylanders. Oh, please don't mess up, come on!"

He aimed the gun and pulled the trigger.

Right before the fight, Star Strike felt a small pinch in her back. She shrugged it off, but started to feel a little drowsy, and before she knew it, she passed out.

Noticing this, Grim Creeper ran over to Star Strike. "Star Strike! Star Strike, can you here me?"

Star Strike merely moaned and didn't even open one eye. Grim Creeper tried to carry her out of the fray but was hit in the back of the head, knocking him out cold.

The drow that hit him shouted to his brethren. "He said we only needed one, but should we take 'em both?"

"Why not?" they shouted back.

The drow attempted to pick up both of them, but Camo noticed this and hit him in the back with a fireball. The drow knew that 2 would be too much weight at this point and decided to just grab Star Strike.

Soon the drows and trolls retreated, and the Skylanders were feeling good about themselves, until they figured out that one of them wasn't around to celebrate.


	6. Chapter 6: Desperation

Star Strike later awoke to find that she was in a place she didn't recognize. She tried to get up, but she felt something holding her down. She looked and saw that she was strapped down to what seemed to be some type of lab table. Then she looked up and saw a piece of metal attached to her head, something that resembled a medical halo. Also in front of her seemed to be a video monitor.

"Huh, where am I? Someone get me outta here!" Star Strike yelled. No matter how hard she struggled, the straps were to strong.

Soon, she saw a door open, and she thought for a second that she was getting rescued, but it only took a few seconds to realize that was **not** going to happen. 3 of the hooded figures came in, all of them except for the largest and the shortest.

"So you're finally awake?" The tallest spoke.

"It took you long enough." said the shortest of the three.

"Who are you?!" Star Strike demanded

"You mean you really can't tell?" the shortest figure said.

"Does it look like I can?"

The shortest one laughed. "Alright then, here's a little hint!" All three figures pulled off their hoods, revealing none other then Kaos's Mom, Glumshanks, and Kaos himself, and Star Strike could barely believe her eyes.

* * *

Back at Grim Creeper's house:

"What do you mean, she's gone?!" Grim Creeper bellowed.

Spyro shook his head. "We mean she's gone. We think she was captured during the fight."

"Well then let's go after her!" Grim Creeper was about to leave the room but was stopped by Cynder.

"What are you doing? Get outta my way!"

"Grim, we don't know where they've taken her. And even if you did find her, you'd be walking into a fight that you can't win alone!"

"Then lets all go! She was probably taken to Kaos's castle!"

Spyro stepped in. "We haven't seen Kaos in years. What are the odds of that?"

Grim Creeper sighed. "Well I'm going there anyway, and whether you're coming or not doesn't mean shit."

Grim Creeper tried to leave, but Cynder wouldn't move. "Grim, I know you and Star Strike had a little 'thing' between eachother, but..."

Cynder didn't get a chance to finish, because Grim Creeper had shoved her out of the way and took off running.

"He's out of his mind!" Sprocket exclaimed.

"We gotta go after him!" said Whirlwind.

They tried to keep up, but even with that scythe he carried, Grim Creeper was faster then he looked. They managed to catch up, but not before he made it to the docks, where Flynn, Cali, Tessa, and Sharpfin were waiting.

"Flynn, take me to Kaos's cast-"

"Grim Creeper, stop!"

Grim Creeper looked behind him to see the other Skylanders trailing behind.

"Don't try to stop me!"

"We're not! Not anymore!" said Spyro.

"Said the spider to the fly."

"Look, we get how bad you want to do this, but let us come with you!"

Grim Creeper looked surprised for a second. "'groan' Fine. But only two of you. That way if you try to stop me, I'll at least put up a fight."

"You really are hellbent on this, aren't you?"

"You think?"

"Fine. Take your pick."

"Alright. Camo and Stealth Elf." Spyro had noticed that Grim Creeper had picked the only two life element Skylanders with them currently. Grim Creeper really meant it when he said he wanted to put up a fight. He would have an advantage due to their element matchup.

Camo and Stealth Elf got on Flynn's ship. "So back to business. Flynn, can you take us to Kaos's castle?"

Flynn, a little confused over what just happened, just said, "Uh, yeah sure! Hop aboard."

* * *

**Ooooooooh, plot twist! three of the hooded figures are revealed, Grim Creeper is willing to fight his friends, and is Star Strike really at Kaos's castle? To make things even more confusing, who are the other two hooded figures?****  
**


	7. Chapter 7: Setting a Trap

Star Strike stared at her captors, afraid and angry. "How is this possible?" Star Strike looked at Kaos's Mom. "You're supposed to be trapped in that mirror!" Then she looked at Kaos and Glumshanks. "And you two should have died, getting caught in the volcano's eruption!"

Kaos just laughed "Surprise, surprise! We made it out with only a few cuts and bruises! Afterwards, we proceeded to search for the mirror in which my mother was trapped. It took quite a while but once we found it, all we had to do was shatter the mirror, and 'poof!' There she was!"

Kaos's Mom had an angry look. "And believe me, it was lonely being trapped in their all those years. Now that I've been freed, I plan to make sure that you and all your little Skylander friends meet an even worse fate."

Star Strike was suddenly more frightened then angry, but not all of her questions had been answered yet. "So now I know who you are and what you want, but where am I and what is this table I'm on?"

Kaos simply laughed again. "This is a memory machine. This machine searches through the memories of anyone it's attached to, even ones they've forgotten, and any memory it finds is transmitted through it, and is displayed on the screen in front of you. Believe me, it works like a charm. Glumshanks knows this better then anyone. I had to peek through his memories to find the lost city of Arkus."

"You mean around when the Giants helped the Skylanders kick your ass?" Star Strike responded snidely.

"Put it any way you want, because it doesn't matter now!"

"Well why would you need to look through my memories? You already know the location of the Core of Light, the city of Arkus, the Cloudbreak Volcano, and the Skylander's HQ. What do you need now?"

That's when Kaos's Mom chimed in. "Oh come on, put two and two together. You remember what Grim Creeper finished telling you before you were captured, don't you?"

"The legend and prophecy of those so-called 'heroes?' If you already know about that, then looking through my memory will probably show you nothing you haven't already heard!"

"Well, uh, better safe then sorry." said Glumshanks.

"You'll all be sorry when my team comes and rescues me."

Kaos snickered. "Oh, please! Don't you get it? That's yet another reason why we have you! You're the perfect bait for that little shithole that I'm pretty sure you call, oh who was it now, Grim Creeper?"

Star Strike was stunned that she didn't see this coming. "It's a trap?!"

"Hell yeah, it is! Now, I think it's about time we poke through your memory banks, am I right?" Kaos said as he pulled a large red switch on the wall. Star Strike felt the memory machine give off a small _whirrrrr_.

The monitor in front of Star Strike turned fuzzy.

"Just wait, soon your memories will be played before us like a TV show! I'm gonna go get popcorn!" Kaos said as he ran out of the room.

Kaos's Mom walked up to Star Strike. "Oh, and by the way, don't think you'll be able to use your fans to help you. We've stashed them in a place that you won't find them!"

Kaos ran back in with a bucket of popcorn, and just as he did, a video of Grim Creeper telling of the legend appeared on the monitor. "Ooh, right on time!"


	8. Chapter 8: Putting the Pieces Together

1 and a half hours later:

Spyro and the others were waiting patiently for Grim Creeper to return. Their patience was rewarded when the ship returned, but when they got off, Stealth Elf was limping and Camo was carrying Grim Creeper on his back.

"What happened?" Cynder asked, worried.

"We were jumped by some trolls. Grim got the worst of it." replied Stealth Elf glumly.

"It was like they were waiting for us!" said Camo, putting down Grim Creeper.

"Things are starting to come together now." said Drobot, obviously thinking hard.

"Whattaya mean?" Cynder asked confused.

"Whoever captured Star Strike must have known Grim would be exceedingly desperate to find her, and the first place he and probably most others would think of is Kaos's castle."

"So your saying that whoever captured Star Strike sent those trolls to either capture or kill Grim and anyone with him? But why Grim specifically? Why not anyone else?" Rip Tide questioned.

"It probably has to do with the legend. Grim was the only one who knew about it, and we were attacked right after he finished telling us about it." said Flashwing.

"Well if you're right Flashwing, then whoever captured Star not only knew the legend, but has a serious interest in it." said Spyro. "But if that's true, and if we're the reincarnation of the people in the legend, then we have targets on our backs, and Grim's is the largest."

"Put simply, we're all in grave danger." said Cynder.

* * *

Back at the castle:

Kaos's mother walks up to the largest of the hooded figures. "Sir, I got word that the attack on the Skylanders have failed."

"Good, as I expected." the figure replied.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Do you really think I expected them to succeed? I would have sent in an army of jawbreakers if I wanted that."

"Then what was the point, sir?"

"I merely wanted them to figure out we are after them. They will be busy planning and trying to figure out who we are, and while their guard is down, we'll corner them."

"Clever." said Kaos's Mom, secretly surprised at his cunning.

"Now what of the Skylanders they call Star Strike?"

"Nothing yet, sir. The memory machine didn't show much, and we've tried to interrogate further, including torture methods. Whipping, electrocution, paddling, one of the trolls even tried cigar burns, but she somehow she takes it in stride. Going any farther might kill the girl, then we won't get any information."

"Continue your attempts but keep her alive. If she doesn't let anything slip in the next couple of days, take her life."

"Is there any specific way you would like us to do so?"

"Do it any way you can, in both interrogating and killing."

"Yes sir." said Kaos's mother as she left the room. She went back to the memory machine, with Star Strike back in it, and she was quite worse for wear. She was very tired and banged up, breathing heavily and hardly able to keep her eyes open. Kaos was there to, trying to extract information.

"This isn't gonna stop until you cooperate."

"Has it ever occurred to you, I don't care, you son of a bitch." said Star Strike as Kaos's mother came in. "And look, it's the bitch."

Kaos's Mom glared at Star Strike and slapped her. "You're lucky we were told not to kill you."

Star Strike grimaced. "If that's lucky, then I'd hate to know what unlucky is."

"Unlucky is when we capture your friends and kill them right in front of you."


	9. Chapter 9: A Familiar Feeling

1 Day later:

The Skylanders, after hours of searching, are now at the Core of Light, resting. Grim Creeper, fearing for the lives of the other Skylanders, especially Star Strike, goes to Master Eon for advice.

"Master Eon, you are the only one besides me who knew of the legend and prophecy, and now and enemy has Star Strike because of it. I need an answer."

"I'm sorry Grim Creeper, but even with my vast knowledge of Skylands, I do not know who are enemy exactly is, or where they've taken Star Strike." Master Eon replies glumly. Suddenly, Grim Creeper gets an odd feeling that is remotely familiar. A strange lightheaded feeling.

Grim Creeper knew this was his chance to contact her.

* * *

At the Core of Light:

"Spyro, what do we do now?" asked Cynder.

"I don't know. Thing are just so confusing right now." Spyro replied.

"Grim's taking this the worst. Maybe we should check on him. He went to see Master Eon."

"Sure, why not?"

Then, Spyro and Cynder started to feel lightheaded, and they had an idea.

* * *

Back at the castle:

Star Strike was on the memory machine again, and after more brutal torture and pain, was feeling worse then before. She was trying desperately hard to hold back tears. She was alone in the room, except for Glumshanks.

Out of nowhere, Star Strike had a weird lightheaded feeling, and she knew what was coming. Suddenly an idea struck her like one of Lightning Rod's bolts.

"Hey Glumshanks. As long as I'm here, at least tell me where I am."

Glumshanks, not being able to think of a good reason not to, said "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt. We're in a castle in some far off dark place called the Shadowlands."

Soon things started to go black. "Finally." Star Strike whispered to herself as she passed out.


	10. Chapter 10: Dream 2

_Spyro and the other Skylanders found themselves in the same white area they were in during the first dream. Spyro, Cynder, and Grim Creeper all just happened to be right next to eachother._

_They searched through the crowd of Skylanders for Star Strike. Grim Creeper found her first, was horrified at how beaten she was. Spyro and Cynder came over and couldn't believe her eyes._

_"Star! Come on! Answer me!" said Grim Creeper, Star Strike in his arms._

_"Star Strike! Don't do this to us!" Spyro exclaimed, fearing the worst._

_Star Strike finally opened her eyes. "Grim, Spyro, Cynder, I know who the enemy is. Kaos, his Mom, and Glumshanks are back."_

_"We should've known." said Cynder._

_"I'm in a castle in a far away place called the Shadowlands. Please, help me." said Star Strike, almost crying._

_"You will be reunited."_

_"I recognize that voice!" said Spyro._

_The head of Master Eon's ancestor appeared again. "I brought you here so you would be able to speak with eachother. And Star Strike, it was good thinking of you to find out where you've been taken. I will now send you back. Skylanders you know where your team member is. Now rescue her!"_

_Grim Creeper looked down, and saw Star Strike starting to fade away. The same was happening to Spyro, Cynder, and the others. "We're coming Star Strike." said Grim Creeper as everything started to turn black again._

_"Oh, and tell Eon I said hi." said the ancestor of Eon before Grim passed_ out.

* * *

Grim Creeper and the other Skylanders woke up.

"I know where Star is!" said Grim Creeper excited and scared. He was about to head off to grab a map. But then...

"But wait! First things first! Master Eon?"

"Yes Grim Creeper?" Eon replied.

"Your ancestor says hi."


	11. Chapter 11: Incoming Skylanders

Soon Grim Creeper returned to the Skylanders, a map in hand.

"Everyone! I have a map! We can now go to the Shadowlands and rescue Star Strike!"

Everyone then went to Flynn's ship, and they were off. The Shadowlands held obstacles that were living, nonliving, and even undead, but they were closing in on the castle where Star Strike was being held. Spyro, Cynder, and Grim Creeper were staring over the bow of the ship, the castle in sight.

"We're coming, Kaos." said Spyro through gritted teeth.

* * *

In the Shadowland castle:

Kaos barged into the lab where Star Strike is held. Also in there are his mother, Glumshanks, and the shortest hooded figure.

"Everyone! I just got word, the Skylanders have found us! They're closing in! We should erradicate Star Strike while we can!"

Suddenly, the shortest of the hooded figures pulled his hood down, revealing none other then Spyro's old nemesis, Ripto.

"No, I've got a better idea." said Ripto. "Kaos, do you have enough petrified darkness to power the ray gun you call, the 'Evilizer?'"

"I do, but why... Oh, I see!" said Kaos, snickering, and about a minute later, Kaos had brought in the Evilizer, and it was pointing at Star Strike.

"Star Strike, I'm sure you know why this is here!" said Kaos

"You won't get away with this!" said Star Strike, panicking.

"Oh, believe me, I'm sure we have a fair chance!" said Kaos's mother. Then the Evilizer began to glow a deep purple.

Star Strike closed her eyes shedding a tear. "No..."

"Twinkle twinkle, little Star." said Ripto as the Evilizer opened fire.


	12. Chapter 12: Castle Raid

Soon, the ship docked at the castle, and the Skylanders made way to the castle doors. Some trolls were blocking the way. It was nothing they couldn't handle, but inside the castle, things got more difficult. There were more trolls, plus some drows and jawbreakers.

The Skylanders made it through, but had lost a lot of energy, and most of them stayed behind to hold off reinforcements. Spyro, Cynder, Grim Creeper, Stealth Elf, Drobot, Rip Tide, and Flashwing continued forward.

"Do you think they can manage to stay alive?" asked Stealth Elf.

"Don't worry, they'll be okay." said Rip Tide.

"They're probably more worried about capturing them then killing them." said Grim Creeper.

The Skylanders spent the next 10 minutes dodging security, searching for Star Strike. They soon came across a room with 2 familiar faces. Kaos's mother and Ripto.

"No way! Ripto?" said Spyro, confused.

"I'll bet you never thought you'd see me again, Spyro." said Ripto, smirking.

"I wish."

"Spyro, forget about him and remember what we're here for!" said Cynder.

They were about to leave when Kaos's mother used some sort of sorcery to block the door, and Ripto was holding towards them his staff, which was glowing with dark magic.

"Did you really think we would let you go so easily?" said Kaos's Mom, levitating off the floor. Suddenly a red beam hit her, shooting her out of the air. Drobot had gotten her with one of his laser attacks. "No. No we didn't." he said, smirking.

With Kaos's mother down the energy blocking the door disappeared. They were about to leave, but Ripto started attacking them with the magic emanating from his staff, and similar to Trigger Happy, probably wasn't even aiming.

"That old lady isn't all you've got to worry about!" yelled Ripto. Kaos's mother then got back on her feet and started firing spell after spell at the Skylanders. "You are not going to escape us!" she yelled.

"Some of us will have to stay behind and hold them off! Stealth Elf, Drobot, Rip Tide, and Flashwing, can you handle them?" asked Spyro.

"We've got this! go on ahead and get Star back!" said Stealth Elf.

"Thanks. Let's go guys!" said Spyro.

Stealth Elf nodded back, then looked back at their adversaries. "You old fossils are goin' down!" she said as she lunged at their opponents.

* * *

Kaos walked up to the final hooded figure.

"Spyro, Cynder, and Grim Creeper are making their way through the castle." said Kaos.

"Then I will be ready." said the figure as he ripped off his hood, revealing the one and only Malefor, the evilest dragon.

"They will not leave this castle. Is that understood?" said Malefor.

"Yes Malefor." said Kaos.

* * *

Spyro, Cynder, and Grim Creeper were walking along, when Spyro spoke.

"Grim, if we run into another enemy, me and Cynder will take care of them. You hightail it and continue looking for Star Strike."

Grim Creeper smiled. "Thanks, Spyro."

They continued on, and soon made it to the throne room of the castle. They knew there was someone in there, probably the head of the place. They walked in, and they were proven correct. Spyro and Cynder could barely believe their eyes, as the evil dragon Malefor was standing before them.

"Malefor? You've gotta be kidding me! This is the most demented family reunion ever!" said Spyro, furious.

"It's good to see you to Spyro. You to, Cynder. Tell me, how did you make it this far?"

"Doesn't matter." said Cynder. Then she looked at Grim Creeper. "Grim, remember, we hold him off while you keep going." she whispered.

"Don't worry, I remember."

Malefor then shot a ball of blue fire at the trio. They dodged with no time to spare.

"Grim! Get going!" shouted Spyro.

Grim Creeper nodded and took off for the nearest exit, another fireball barely missing him.

* * *

Grim continued on for a little bit, taking down a few trolls along the way. He soon made it to a wide, open area, and in the room was Kaos.

"If it isn't the scythe wielding little turd of the Skylanders." said Kaos, snickering.

"Hey look, it's the bald loud mouth, who's about to receive an ass whupping." said Grim Creeper, charging at Kaos, scythe in hand.

Suddenly, Grim Creeper heard a door slam. He looked back, and saw Star Strike, just standing there.

"Star!? Is it really you?" said Grim Creeper. Star Strike didn't respond. She just stood there, with her head down. Grim Creeper saw that she looked different. Kind of... Darker. Grim Creeper walked up. "Star? C'mon, answer me!" Suddenly, Star Strike looked up. She had a sinister look in her eye.

"Star Strike, are you..."

Grim Creeper didn't get to finish, because suddenly, he was thrown back by a weird form of energy shot from Star Strike's hand, unlike her normal powers.

"What in the world... What did you do, Kaos?"

Kaos laughed. "Here's a clue!" Kaos then pulled from behind his back what looked like a glowing pink crystal. It looked familiar.

That's when Grim Creeper realized what it was. Petrified darkness.


	13. Chapter 13: De-Evilization

Grim Creeper looked in fear at the crystal, then at Star Strike. "You evilized her?"

Kaos laughed again. "What gave it away?"

Grim Creeper was suddenly filled with unbelievable rage. "You asshole!" shouted Grim Creeper. He began charging at Kaos again, ready to break him in half. But suddenly, when Grim creeper was about to swing his scythe, Star Strike appeared in front of him, and he had to pull away to avoid slicing her, and Star Strike blasted him with more evilized energy. He landed hard on his back.

"Uhhhhh. You'll regret this, Kaos." said Grim Creeper.

"Doubtful." Kaos replied snidely. Grim Creeper tried to get up but Kaos walked over and simply pushed him to the ground. "Don't bother getting up. You can barely even pick up your scythe."

"Bullshit." Grim Creeper responded. He tried to get up again, but Kaos wouldn't let him.

"I said don't get up! And to make sure you don't try anymore..." Kaos then took the crystal, which had actually been sharpened, and plunged it into Grim Creepers thigh. He shrieked in pain.

"AAAAAAAAH!"

"This is so much fun! But why should I hog it all?"

Kaos then tossed the crystal to Star Strike. She caught it and then put her arms in a position as if she was going to throw it, which was exactly what she was going to do.

Kaos picked up Grim Creeper by the back of his hood. "Face it Grim. Little Star over there is no longer one of you. She ain't a Skylander anymore. I guess you could say she's a 'Shadowlander' now."

Kaos looked towards Star Strike. "You know what to do, Star. Finish him."

Grim Creeper closed his eyes, waiting for the blow, but for some reason, it never came. Kaos's grip started to feel weaker. Grim Creeper opened his eyes and saw that the crystal had went into Kaos's calf. Kaos screamed, and then passed out from the pain.

Grim Creeper then looked at Star Strike, who looked like her old self again, and had her head down again. He heard a sniffling, and realized that Star Strike was crying. The pain and torture, and the fact that she almost killed Grim Creeper, it was all to much for her. She fell to her knees, still in tears.

Grim Creeper limped over to her and held her in his arms, trying in vain to comfort her. Star Strike finally looked up. She and Grim Creeper looked in eachother's eyes, and then Star Strike slowly began to close hers. She then passed out in Grim Creeper's arms.


	14. Chapter 14: Taking Her Back

Soon the other Skylanders came in and were shocked at what they saw. Star Strike in Grim Creeper's arms, and Kaos was out cold and bloody in the leg.

"Grim, what happened?" said Spyro.

Grim Creeper looked at Spyro. "We got her back Spyro! She's worse for wear, but we got her back!"

"What about Kaos?" asked Cynder.

"Do what you want with him. I got what I came for."

Spyro nodded and started walking over to Kaos, when suddenly, he was surrounded by a purple light.

"You will not touch him." said Kaos's Mom from behind them. She snapped her fingers and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, along with Kaos.

"Where'd they go?" said Zap.

"Forget about them! We've got two injured Skylanders. Grim, can you walk?" asked Spyro.

"I'll be a little limp, but yeah, I can walk." said Grim Creeper with his hand on his thigh. "And I'll carry Star Strike."

"Alright let 's get the hell outta here!"

* * *

Back on Flynn's ship, 20 minutes later:

Star Strike was asleep in the hospital wing, with Cali, Stealth Elf and Grim Creeper tending to her, and Grim Creeper was beating himself up over not coming to Star Strike's aid sooner. Ghost Roaster, who'd Flynn had gone back earlier and got, was helping in the kitchen, being the amazing chef he was. Flynn was piloting, with Tessa and Sharpfin scouting out for trouble. Spyro and Cynder were at the bow of the ship, thinking things over.

"Spyro, Malefor and the others aren't gonna stop until they get their hands on us, all 16 of us. They almost had all of us today, especially Grim and Star." said Cynder.

"I know, I know." said Spyro. "Ooh, that reminds me!" Spyro then took off to the hospital wing. There, he saw Grim Creeper and Star Strike, alone. Star Strike was still sleeping.

"Grim, I just remembered something!"

"What Spyro?"

Spyro then grabbed a bag that he was carrying on his back and handed it to Grim Creeper. "I thought Star might be missing these."

Grim Creeper opened the bag, and inside he saw Star Strike's fans.

"What the... Where'd you find these?" said Grim Creeper.

"They were in this bag wrapped around Malefor's leg. We snatched it before we escaped."

"Since Star isn't awake to say this, I'll say it for her. Thank you."

"No problem. When she wakes up, let us know." With that, Spyro went back on deck. Grim Creeper then turned around and put Star Strike's fans underneath her hand, then sat next to her.

"You got nothin' to worry about, Star."


	15. Chapter 15: Nightmare

_"No Star Strike, please. Stop..." said Grim Creeper, on the floor with excessive injuries._

_"Never. You are history." said Star Strike, evilized again, stabbing him with a piece of petrified darkness, killing him._

_Suddenly, Star Strike was back to normal. "What the... What happened? Grim? Grim!" shouted Star Strike._

_"No... I didn't do this.". Suddenly Star Strike found herself falling through a black pit. When she landed, she found herself on the deck of Flynn's ship, and all the other Skylanders were watching her. "Guys, Grim is..."_

_"We know, and you are no longer one of us." said Cynder, shoving Star Strike to the ground._

_"What are you doing?" said Star Strike, panicking._

_"It is the end for you, traitor." said Spyro. Spyro then shot a flameball at Star Strike, a larger then normal one. It looked like the sun was hurtling towards her. It got closer and closer, and..."_

* * *

"Noooooo!"

Star Strike awoke with a start. She started checking over her body for burn marks, but saw none. Not even the cigar burns the trolls gave her at the castle. She saw that she was in a hospital bed.

"Star are you okay?"

Star Strike looked and saw Grim Creeper, standing about 3 yards away. He started walking towards her, not believing what he was he was seeing. She was finally awake. When he got next to her bedside, Star Strike just stared. She started to feel tears in her eyes.

"Star, are you..." started Grim Creeper, but before he could finish, Star Strike had wrapped her arms around him crying lightly.

"Grim. You were hurt. I looked at you, and then I saw nothing." said Star Strike, talking fast but pausing between sentences.

"It's alright Star, it's alright." said Grim Creeper, trying to comfort her, but he was lightly crying too.

Star Strike then explained everything that happened back at the castle. The memory machine, the torture methods, the sleepless nights (Although Grim told her she was only gone for about 36 hours so it was really just one night). Worst of all, the evilization.

"How long have I been out?" she asked.

"An entire day, and you were halfway through number 2."

"Okay... Where am I?"

"Well, you were in the hospital wing on Flynn's ship the first day, but we thought it better to move you here. You're the medical wing of HQ."

"I don't remember headquarters having a hospital wing."

"That's because you've never had to come here before."

Star Strike and Grim Creeper then just stared at eachother, gazing into eachother's eyes. They got closer and closer and then...

"Star Strike!"

Star Strike and Grim Creeper pulled away, now with slighter shades of red. They turned around and saw Stealth Elf and Cali in the doorway. Not everyone knew that Grim Creeper and Star Strike were together, and Stealth Elf and Cali were two of them.

"You're okay?" asked Stealth Elf.

"I'm fine." Star Strike responded.

"We're gonna let everyone know." said Cali, heading to the door.

"Don't let everyone know at once, we don't need them crowding her." said Grim Creeper before they could leave.

"Alright then. We'll, uh, leave you two alone." said Stealth Elf.

When they left, Grim Creeper and Star Strike just looked at eachother again.

"Take 2?" said Grim Creeper.

"Take 2." Star Strike confirmed.

They got closer and closer again, and this time they made contact.


	16. Chapter 16: The Prophecy Revisited

Back at the castle, now damaged from the battling:

Kaos's mother walks into the throne room, with Malefor in it.

"Malefor, I've been meaning to ask, now that the Skylanders know who we are and where we are, we no longer have the element of surprise. Also, we lost our hostage, so now what?"

"Now what is that we can no longer wait to take action! Soon the Skylanders will realize the power they have from the prophecy, and we must not risk that!"

"But what is this hidden power they have?"

"When all 16 Skylanders are gathered in a certain area, their original abilities will become immensely more powerful for a limited time, powerful enough to defeat each of us! We must defeat them before then!"

"Then what do we do?"

"Gather every troll, jawbreaker, greeble, drow, chompie, and cyclops you can find!"

"I'll take care of it right away."

"One more thing. Bring in the your son's evilizer."

* * *

Back at Skylanders HQ:

Star Strike had thanked Spyro and Cynder for getting her fans back, and got many Skylander's saying "Welcome back!" and "It's nice to see you again!" It felt nice getting that she was getting all these warm welcomes, but she was recovering slowly and was taking it easy. She also needed to find out something from Grim Creeper.

"Hey Grim, the first time Master Eon's ancestor appeared, he talked about some special power that we had. Can you tell me what this was?" asked Star Strike.

"I was actually about to tell you about it in the prophecy before we were raided."

"Well then tell me now."

"It's actually a little bit more complicated then that. The prophecy says that if the 16 reincarnations gather at the original base of their past lives, and perform a ritual, any wounds they have at the time will heal, and their powers will increase exponentially, enough to take down, and possibly destroy, any adversary."

"Then why don't we go there now?"

"Because, the location of it was lost over the years, so only Master Eon's ancestor knows where it is."

"Then we just wait until he contacts us again!"

"I only told you the first reason. The second reason is that the effects will only last 12 hours. After that, only the next reincarnations will be able to access the power."

"Don't forget, Master Eon's ancestor spoke of a 'great evil' to, and considering Malefor is here, now with a few new cronies, maybe now is the time to use that power."

"Look how about this. The next we're contacted by him, we'll ask him the location, and if now is the time to use the power. Our next course of action will depend on what he tells us. Until then, we won't use the power unless all of us agree on it."

Star Strike sighed. "Alright, until then." They then shared a small kiss.

Suddenly, yells and what sounded like a stampede was heard outside. Grim Creeper and Star Strike looked out the window, and saw what was no doubt an army of Malefor's minions charging.

"Whoah, deja-vu." said Star Strike.

"No. Not again! We're getting all the Skylanders this time!" said Grim Creeper, furious. With that, he and Star Strike went to gather everyone else, and prepare for an all-out war.


	17. Chapter 17: Returning Heroes

Star Strike and Grim Creeper soon gathered the other Skylanders. They were about to head out to battle when...

"Star? Maybe you should sit this one out." said Grim Creeper.

"What? You're kidding, right?"

"Wrong. Star Strike, you're still recovering, plus your trembling. You're scared."

"What? That's not true, not even in the slightest! Sure, I'm a little banged up, but..."

"Star Strike, please! I'm not gonna force you to stay here, but please, I don't, well, I just..."

"What? Spit it out!"

Grim Creeper suddenly hugged Star. "I can't lose you again! Not again!"

"Grim, you don't have to..."

"Please, Star. I don't have time to argue anymore, but I'm begging you, please stay here."

Star Strike then saw the look in Grim Creeper's eyes, and knew how worried he was.

"Alright. Just this once, I'll be your precious cargo."

Grim Creeper smiled, gave her a quick kiss, and took off to join the fight.

Star Strike then went and got her fans. "Sorry, Grim, but your a sucker."

* * *

On the Battlefield:

The Skylanders were soon in battle, but Glumshanks was once again watching them, and he didn't just have one dart this time.

"Here we go, Glumshanks."

Spyro then got the feeling he was being watched. He flew into the air, and after a little bit of scoping the scenery, he saw Glumshanks, dart gun in hand.

"So that's how they got Star Strike! Not this time!" Spyro charged up as much firepower as he could and shot.

Glumshanks started to notice that it was getting warmer, and brighter. He looked up, but not until it was to late. The fireball hit Glumshanks, and he was thrown on his back. The burns wouldn't kill him, but he would need a few bandages, and possibly a wheelchair.

"Direct hit! Now to get back to... Oh no."

Spyro looked at the battlefield, and to his horror, saw that the enemy had a few reinforcements. Now there were spiders, trog wanderers, and a few Arkeyan robots, and the Skylanders were getting worn out. And it got worse, because Spyro was then hit by a stick of dynamite thrown by one of the trolls. He hit the ground with a thud. He then saw an Arkeyan rip rotor, axes in hand (or for hands), ready to finish him off. But then, a projectile that looked like a star, was shot at the robot and knocked it to the ground. Star Strike, ignoring Grim Creeper's request to sit out, had joined the fight.

"Star Strike, you said you'd stay out of this!" said Grim Creeper.

"I may, have said that, but that was never my intention, and you should be glad it wasn't." said Star Strike.

"You know what? I think we're all glad." said Grim Creeper with a smirk.

"Oh, I forgot to mention, I brought some friends." said Star Strike, pointing to a nearby hill. On that hill, was a sight the Skylanders would never forget. All the Giants, Swap Force, and the Trap Masters were here, and ready to rumble.


	18. Chapter 18: Final Warning

"The Giants." said Cynder shocked.

"And the Swap Force." said Grim Creeper, just as shocked.

"And the Trap Masters. How'd you contact them?" asked Spyro.

"Well, as I was walking out to join the fight, I saw Ninjini and Eon conversing. I walked up and told them what was happening, and asked if Ninjini could lend a hand, and she said she'd do better. She got in touch with not just the rest of the Giants but the Swap Force and Trap Team, too." Star Strike explained, just as the Giants, Swap Force, and Trap Team joined the fight. The enemy's numbers soon dwindled, and they retreated.

"We got 'em good!" said Hot Dog.

"It'll take a long time to recover from that." said Countdown.

"Not long enough." said Spyro.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm with Spyro. These guys are not gonna' stop coming." said Grim Creeper.

Spyro then continued. "The only way for us to win is to take them down at the source."

"Wait, do you mean we have to go back to that castle?" asked Star Strike, shuddering at the thought.

"Yeah Star, I guess so." said Grim Creeper.

Then, some of the Skylanders felt lightheaded, and they knew Eon's ancestor was contacting them.

* * *

_They were once again in the white area, and this time, Master Eon's ancestor was already waiting for them._

_"Time is running out, Skylanders. Your enemies are getting ready to strike once again."_

_"We understand, but, we must know, is now the time to use powers our past lives have given to us?" asked Star Strike._

_"Correct, you must use your full abilities now. If Malefor succeeds, despair will be brought upon the rest of the world."  
_

_"We will make good use of our full strength." said Spyro.  
_

_"Then I shall tell you how to access them. But before i do, I must tell you that this is the last time I can ever contact you. I have been using up my strength just to keep me connected to this world, and I am almost finished."_

_"We're listening." Said Grim Creeper._

_"Very well then..."_


	19. Chapter 19: To the Locations

Spyro and the others woke up with a start, and Grim was very excited.

Eon's ancestor had told them how to unlock their powers, and that coincidentally, the HQ of their past lives was actually in 8 different places, one place for each element.

Drobot and Sprocket had to go too Drill-X's old rig.

Sunburn and Flameslinger had to go to the cavern underneath the Cloudbreak Volcano.

Camo and Stealth Elf had to go too Rumbletown.

Zap and Gill Grunt had to go too Cascade Glade.

Bash and Scorp had to go too Iron Jaw Gulch.

Whirlwind and Jet-Vac had to go too the island that once held the Lost City of Arkus.

Cynder and Grim Creeper had to go too Cutthroat Carnival.

Finally, Spyro and Star Strike had to go to Willikin Village.

"We know where to go, so let's move before the enemy gets any 'cute' ideas." said Spyro.

They were about to go, but Star Strike pulled Grim Creeper aside.

"Grim, I'm not so sure about this. I don't think I can go back to that castle. I'll admit, I'm shaking in my cloak right now." Star Strike said reluctantly.

"We're gonna' get through this Star, I promise." said Grim Creeper. Meanwhile, Spyro and Cynder were talking.

"Spyro, when you're with Star, maybe you should talk to her. She's been a little out of it lately." said Cynder.

"I'll do that, and maybe you should talk to Grim." Spyro replied.

* * *

Later, at Cutthroat Carnival:

"So you're sure you're okay?" said Cynder.

Grim Creeper sighed. "I'm fine Cynder."

"You so sure?" said a voice behind them. Cynder and Grim Creeper quickly turned around and saw Kaos, slightly bandaged up and with a small army of jawbreakers.

"Look who showed up." said Cynder through gritted teeth.

"Do you really think you can win? Actually, that's a stupid question, isn't it?" said Grim Creeper.

"Oh I do, and you're going to help me!" said Kaos, pointing at Grim Creeper.

"Help you? And I thought you were insane before." Grim Creeper responded.

"Believe me, I know what I'm talking about, and I just so happen to have an ace up my sleeve. Show 'em, boys!"

2 goliath drow walked forward, and in their arms were an unconscious Spyro and Star Strike, with knives at their throats.

"Oh no. What did you do to them?! And how did you find them?!" asked Cynder.

"How did we find them? Oh, please. You guys were scattered all over Skylands! We were bound to find at least one of you! We were just lucky enough to get our hands on the ones that were most important to you!" said Kaos, snidely.

"Fine you got us. What do you want?" said Grim Creeper.

"Simple. You two come with us onto our ship! I haven't completely thought this through, though, so I'll decide what to do with you from there."

"And if we don't?" said Cynder.

"They have knives at their throats. Just put 2 and 2 together." said Kaos.

Grim Creeper and Cynder gave eachother sad looks, then walked forward. Then Grim Creeper spoke.

"We'll come."


End file.
